Documents obtained by Defense News revealed that the Pentagon is considering increasing the US Navy fleet to around 500 ships. The documents reviewed by Defense News are draft versions of the forthcoming Future Navy Force Study, an assessment commissioned by the Pentagon.
Two groups commissioned for the study suggested a fleet size of anywhere from 480 to 534 ships. The new Navy would be more focused on smaller ships, rather than large vessels like aircraft carriers. The Navy currently has an estimated 293 battle-ready ships and is expected to increase the fleet to 355 by 2030.
The final version of the Future Navy Force Study is expected to be published by the end of the year. The study is a collaboration between offices within the Pentagon and the Hudson Institute, a Washington-based think-tank.
Speaking at an event hosted by the RAND Corporation last week, Secretary of Defense Mark Esper said he wants the Navy to have over “350 ships.” To achieve this, Esper is calling for increasing funds for Navy shipbuilding.
Earlier in September, the Pentagon released its annual report on China’s military power. The report said China has the largest navy fleet in the world, with “an overall battle force of approximately 350 ships and submarines.” But the number of ships a country is not the best way to judge overall naval power. The US Navy is much larger than Beijing’s in terms of tonnage.
US canon-boat diplomacy navy is sooooo 1800’s that it really doesn’t even intimidate the intended target, small underdeveloped defenceless countries, not in the age of sonic and hypersonic missiles it doesn’t, which Russia and China has but US have not and for the foreseeable future won’t have despite Dump’s “super duper” chest thumping and empty bragging. All US and it’s allies can produce its face saving lies.
From The Saker’s latest: “This reminds me of how the Brits declared that Russia stole their vaccine against the sars-cov-2 virus. But, if the Russians stole all that, why is it that ONLY Russia has deployed hypersonic weapons (not the USA) and ONLY Russia has both two vaccines and 2 actual treatments (and not the UK)? For a good laugh, check out Andrei Martyanov’s great column “Russia Steal Everything”.
Is that part of the rebuilding of our civil infrastructure?
John Wells,
Of course – when you don’t ever get another COVID economic stimulus check – know that you have done your part to boost Ingalls Shipbuilding stockholder’s checks.
I doubt that we would ever be able to build new ships at a lesser cost than China or Iran could build new anti-ship missiles. ( Hint to Pentagon – this is how we bankrupted the Soviet Union – by being able to outspend them on war toys).
The Navy cannot competently command all of the ships they have now.
A competent captain who was mindful of his men was dismissed for his actions. He was supposed to keep his mouth shut and command his men, as if there was a radio silence in a great war.
Continuing in a 20 year war is not competence.
Nah, let’s shoot for a thousand 🙁
funding for 500 new navy ships would put quite a damper on the Space Force budget but i’m sure that US taxpayers will quietly suck it up and take another one for the team
The funding wouldn’t be for 500 new ships. It would be for about 70. But the navy is already far too large and they should be talking about how to reduce the number of ships, not increase it.
that smacks of heresy sir.
It reminds me of the plans for the use of cavalry. China has a different purpose for building ships. Theirs is strictly defensive. Mine sweeping, prevention of sea launched sabotage, smuggling of weapons and explosives, destruction of any sea based intruder, etc.
What would be the purpose of our smaller ships? Defend American coastline from all those Chinese ships? Somehow I doubt it. More and more ships are meant to choke off Chinese merchant shipping from global trade.
Cavalry comes to mind. China can afford to entertain all this — until it becomes a real nuisance.
We live in the world of hypersonic. Which we do not have. We live in the world of space-skirting multiple re-entry vehicles controllable in semi-plasma state. Which we do not have. Recently a Chinese official compared this Russian MIRV with an invention of atom bomb. And hush is the word when it comes to drone submarines described as “invulnerable” — and those we do not have. And where is our missile defense? And I mean our defense, not Japan’s or Romania’s or Saudi’s.
In the meantime — the disorganization shown in responding to virus epidemics is telling. Let us give a generous allowance that global data is imperfect — it still is hard to paper over the differences. US has 4% of world’s population, but 20% of all world’s deaths. We are constantly praying for a war somewhere — and we finally got it. Right here at home.
More Americans have died of COVID then in ALL post-WWII global conflicts — starting from Korea.
Chinese ships are not swarming off Malibu or Marthas Vinyard. Or are they? If so, no wonder Beltway Brains concerned.
We need the Navy to protect Chinese ships bringing Chinese crap to our Walmart’s from the Chinese
The problem, as always, is that we are fighting the last war we were in.
All the world really needs is more US violence and interference all over the globe. No need to think about peace, of course, or cooperation.
Each aircraft carrier is 13 billion plus airplanes for 10 billion more. So 23 billion per aircraft carrier. Trade in one of those suckers and buy 23 frigates instead. I could see a no aircraft carrier Navy reaching 500 ships for about the same money as today. I